


in which Ed and Oswald get their shit together more than they did in the show, which is not saying much

by its_me_dio



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, gotta Fix them, overly indulgent collaborative effort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-02
Updated: 2017-07-02
Packaged: 2018-11-22 05:42:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11373747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/its_me_dio/pseuds/its_me_dio
Summary: Ed and Oswald have a much-needed discussion about Why The Fuck Miss Kringle 2 Suddenly Showed Up Just As Oswald Was Gonna Confess. This is completely self-indulgent because we were pissed that they just. took her for granted.





	in which Ed and Oswald get their shit together more than they did in the show, which is not saying much

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know if you want another chapter or something, because I would be willing to write more!

“Wait, Oswald-- what do you mean? You think Isabella _is _Miss Kringle? They do look similar, but I buried her- she’s definitely dead.” Ed furrowed his brows, unsure what Oswald was getting at.__  
"No, I know _that _, I-" Oswald quickly closed his eyes so that Ed wouldn't see him rolling them, opened them again, hoped he didn't sound too desperate. "I mean - She is the _spitting image _of Miss Kringle. Isn't that... I don't know, _worrying _to you?"______  
“I mean. I suppose it is- is a bit _strange _, but Miss Kringle is rotting in the ground, not to be vulgar. I don’t really see what you’re trying to say-- couldn’t it just be good fortune? A second chance, maybe? I never meant to kill her, maybe this is-- maybe this is a sign that I _could_ have a second chance, Oswald.” Saying it aloud, Ed realized how stupid he sounded, but he couldn’t help but hope. He pushed down the thought that maybe what Oswald was saying really was logical, that he shouldn’t trust Kristin- no, Isabella. Damn it. He looked at the floor, hoping Oswald couldn’t tell how stupid he was feeling.__  
_"Ed," _Oswald grated, resisting the urge to scream, trying to impress upon him how ridiculous he sounded. "I mean, _what _are the odds? A woman who looks -- _exactly _like the woman you, well, _murdered _, just happens to meet you in the same wine shop you were in, on exactly the same night you had gone, _and _, might I mention, the exact night that I intended to-" he stopped himself just in time, covered his mistake with what he hoped was a dismissive, good-natured smile. The kind that a caring, concerned friend might have, not- not Oswald. _"Nevermind." _For good measure, he put a hand on Ed's arm, hoping to reclaim his attention.____________  
"But, I know you, Ed. A _'second chance'? Really? _"__  
Ed gulped, suddenly very warm. “I didn’t think that it was much more than a happy coincidence that she was there at the same time I was-- I mean, I suppose I could’ve been anywhere, so might it have been something more that led her there at the exact same time I was?” He halted to adjust his glasses, thoughts racing. Of course. Of course Oswald was right. He could’ve been anywhere, but somehow this Kristen Kringle lookalike had found him, and they had both left without buying anything-- almost as if she had no reason to be there in the first place except to meet him. But no- no, that couldn’t be right. It was special, it was _fate _, it was-__  
“Wait, Oswald.” He noticed suddenly. “You were saying- the night you intended to what?” Suddenly Ed had the strangest feeling he had missed something very important at 6:00 three nights ago.  
Oswald's mouth fell open for a couple long moments as he scrambled to find an excuse.  
"Oh, I - I - I -... I just... You see, I..." He tried to smile. It hurt. "You know what, I was just so... _disappointed _that you didn't, um... I had an entire dinner planned out and everything, and I..." He nearly choked. He tried again. "Well, nevermind. You were out there with... _Kringle Two _, and I was..." He swallowed painfully, managed a nervous laugh. " _Bygones, _am I right? Totally irrelevant now." Another laugh, but he found his face falling quickly as he looked away. "Totally... _utterly _irrelevant."________  
“Oswald, I-” Ed broke off, suddenly feeling as if he had made, an enormous, horrible mistake. Oswald, as emotional as he often was, looked so sad, almost _heartbroken. _He wouldn’t meet Ed’s eyes, either, and it was simply _awful _. Ed went on, “She was just- she was Kristen, back from the dead, and she _liked _me, and I went with her.” Ed swallowed, unable to find the words. “I was caught off guard, and- and you know how much I loved her. Miss Kringle, that is. I couldn’t, I couldn’t not go with her, if you know what I mean-” He broke off.______  
“I’m sorry, Oswald, I’m making everything worse. I suppose I didn’t realize your dinner was- was going to be so important.” Ed removed his glasses, and polished them on the hem of his shirt. His chest felt like it was tying itself in a horrible knot, one that would be difficult to untangle, even for him. And one couldn’t slice apart their chest like a Gordian knot. At least if said person had an interest in living, that is.  
Oswald held his hands up, placating; For all his bitterness, he didn't want to see Ed upset. " _No, _Ed, I... It's fine. There's...there's no need to apologize. I understand _completely, _believe me." He managed a smile as he looked up at Ed again, but it didn't reach his eyes. Of course it didn't. "That's love, isn't it? ...Even if the woman you're in love with looks exactly like..." He shook his head, taking a long, deep breath, only barely masking his resentment. "Forget it. Clearly you had more important things to do. A stupid little dinner could wait."____  
”Oswald, I’m sure it wasn’t stupid.” Ed looked up worriedly.  
"No, I - I assure you, it wasn't anything worth sticking around for. Not if it meant missing out on the... love of your life, right?"  
“Oswald, I thought I said-- I don’t,” Ed sighed, flustered. “How do I put this? Miss Kringle was the love of my life. Isabella- she’s like Kristen back from the dead, but I think I might have overreacted when I saw her. After all, wasn’t it I that said that the death of true love frees a man?” Ed watched Oswald, gauging his expression. Something in Oswald’s face fell, and Ed looked away, wondering what he had said wrong.  
For a moment, he appeared unaccountably upset, before he finally steeled himself. "'The death of true love...'" he echoed, an edge building in his voice. "You fell _head over heels _for a carbon copy of your 'true love' - What does _that _say about _'freeing' _anybody? If anything, it looks like the memory of Kristen is holding you back." From what, or why, he couldn't say. But he couldn't stop himself from babbling - he was too worked up now. "You said you felt like Isabella was like a - a _second chance _for you. And - and how do you know you won't just -- _screw it all up _, all over again? How do you know you won't kill her too? Why do you waste your time on second chances with a dead woman when _I--! _"____________  
Abruptly, he closed his mouth, cringed, straightened. "When I..." He took a breath. "I'm worried about yo- _her _, Ed. It doesn't feel right, and I... " All at once he drooped again, too despondent to find any use in continuing. "I..."__  
“Oswald.” Ed took a deep breath. “You are my dearest friend. Whatever advice you have for me, I will take it.” he grasped one of Oswald’s hands for emphasis. “I must admit, I am a bit… conflicted. However, I can’t get past the feeling that you aren’t getting to the point you mean to make. I may have made a bad decision in deciding to… uh, _date _Miss- I mean Isabella. But, I don’t see why that’s any reason to get _this _worked up about it, Oswald, even for you.”____  
Oswald looked down at their hands in abject shock before pulling his away to wring them both nervously. He spoke quickly, and quietly, before he could regret it.  
"I admit I've not been...entirely _honest _with you, Edward. You're...you're absolutely right about that. And I... should have come clean earlier. About it. A- a- about the - about why I'm so _passionate _, I guess you could say, about this. I really should- should _apologize _for my behavior, in fact, it was...very _unbecoming _of me, but--" A deep breath. "Ed, the reason why I believe that Isabella isn't right for you, besides... her, well, _you know, _is...is..." Another breath. He steeled himself again, tightened his hands into fists at his sides, and managed to look up at him, at least for a couple moments.__________  
"I... _care _about you. Very much. I guess you could say that I, um... I just..." He took both of Ed's hands in his own. "You're _very important _to me, Ed, and I...well I…" He looked away, laughing nervously. "I - I don't know how to say it..."____  
“Oswald.” Ed surprised himself with his intensity. “If you are going to say what I _think _you are going to say, I need to hear it. From you. That is not the kind of think that should be assumed, or left unsaid.” Ed scooted closer to Oswald on the couch, and looked him in the eye. “No matter how… confused I may have been, when I saw Isabelle, or what I did, shouldn’t change anything between us, you know. Oswald, no matter what-- you will _always _be my dearest friend, and I would do anything for you. I need you to remember this. Now, do continue. I apologize for interrupting you, it sounded… important.” Ed pushed his glasses up to watch Oswald again.____  
Oswald had to take a couple seconds to regain his composure, clearly flustered by their proximity. It took him a couple seconds more to get the courage to speak again.  
"Edward, I... This definitely isn't the... _situation _that I wanted to tell you in, but... I don't _want _you to date Isabelle- _Isabella _..." he winced again, squeezing his eyes shut, but he opened them again to look up at Ed urgently, speaking slowly and seriously. "...For my _own _reasons, besides her...being who and what she is. My own... _selfish _reasons."__________  
“Oswald… I suppose I’m at a loss for words. Selfish?” Ed took a deep breath, considering something he hadn’t thought possible. “Could it be that you are also in love with Isabella?”  
Oswald openly rolled his eyes, scoffing. _"'Am I in love with-'" _His entire face crumpled with disgust. _"What-- No--" _He huffed exasperatedly. _"Ed, _I am in love with _you _," he snapped, as if it was obvious, which it very much was - to Oswald. Only realizing this a moment too late, he started violently and blinked hard, stammering, eyes wide with shock at himself. "I- I- I mean... I- I- I..."________  
Ed froze, staring at Oswald as if he had just grown a third ear in the middle of his forehead. He shook his head.  
“Sorry, what?” He asked, polite tone coming out a little more menacing than usual. He watched, stuttering and shaking his head, as Oswald’s disbelieving expression morphed into embarrassment, and then horror. He seemed to be unable to do anything as Oswald began to stutter and swallow his words. “Wait, Oswald, no. I heard you.” He closed his eyes for a moment, and took a deep breath. “I was just. Not. Expecting that. I uh, don’t really know how to respond to that, quite honestly.” He said, pushing up his glasses and standing up, beginning to pace.  
“I certainly don’t mean to insult you! In fact, I may, uh…” He covered his face, which he was sure had turned bright red. “Just give me a moment, please.”  
Oswald stood frantically and inelegantly, trailing a couple lopsided steps behind him, wringing his hands like a condemned man. "Ed, _I- I- I- _I'm so sorry, I- _can we just _\- just forget I-" he began to laugh, maybe a little hysterically. Almost certainly a little hysterically. "-Just f- forget that I- I- said that? I- I don't know what came over me, please, I, I- just--" He nearly choked.____  
"I don't know what came over me, I sh-shouldn't have- shouldn't have said that... _Can we please just forget that I said that?" _He begged, staring up at him, panic-stricken and hopeless, reaching out to put a hand on his arm again and again and thinking better of it every time. _"Please. _"____  
Ed turned, finally regaining his control over his motor skills.  
“Oswald.” Ed placed both hands on his shoulders, and struggled to maintain eye contact. This was important, after all. “Oswald, even if I _didn’t _\-- I mean, that is to say that no matter what, you should always say what you mean. You don’t need to take anything back. Um, plus, uh…” He stuttered, and buried his head in Oswald’s neck. “I, uh, like you too.”__  
"Y-you _what? _" he breathed, "But how--? _Why--? _" Oswald couldn't have heard him right.____  
Even so, he wrapped his arms around him uncertainly, hands moving in slow circles, tense on the back of his shirt like he couldn't believe his luck, and he most definitely _could not _believe his luck. He did, in fact, entirely expect him to pull away at any time - but that didn't stop him from leaning into Ed a bit, smiling brokenly and loving the closeness even as he was sure it wouldn't last. _It could not last _. He wouldn't allow it to last, not in good conscience, not when…____  
"But what about Isabella?" he mumbled, consigning himself to heartbreak, "What about your second chance? I know I said it was -- well. _You know _, but- But I don't want to--" his voice broke as well, for good measure. "--to take that away from you."__  
Ed sighed, and pulled away. “Oswald, I don’t know. What do you want from me? As much as I know you’re right, that even the idea of a second chance for me is stupid, I can’t help but love her. What do you want me to do, tell her to leave me alone? She wouldn’t, and I don’t know- I don’t think I could do that, in any case.” Ed sat back down, feeling awfully crushed for someone who was claiming to be in love. How could he be so stupid? Of course Oswald wouldn’t be able to do anything about Isabella, and Ed couldn’t get rid of his crush on either of them. He was royally screwed. “Oswald,” Ed realized, “I don’t like her more than you. I just-- don’t know what to do.” he looked up, torn.  
"No, Ed, you're right," Oswald muttered miserably, trying to ignore the sinking sensation in his chest that he _knew _was going to be there, that _belonged _there,"You're right, I'm sorry, I - I shouldn't have mentioned it. It only - I only… made things more difficult. For you. I-- shouldn't have _burdened _you with that decision." He finally sat back down now, well away from Ed, feeling the distance between them like a physical thing. He fidgeted a bit, settling into a vague melancholy as the initial panic, as the initial -- _everything _ebbed away. "I guess it wouldn't… seem as legitimate now, to reiterate how… suspicious her behavior is, would it?" He felt distinctly uncomfortable. "Not when you know my… _feelings _about y- I- I mean, _on _the matter. I mean..."____________  
Ed furrowed his brow. “No, I thought… most of what you said earlier was accurate. I just don’t think I could do it. Break things off with her, I mean. I’m not very good at… that sort of thing.” Ed looked at Oswald, and his chest ached with sympathy. He just looked so _miserable. _“Oswald.” Ed said, an idea suddenly forming. “Everything has me, yet nothing can exist after me. What am I?” He rattled off nervously. He answered himself, as Oswald did not appear to be forming an answer. “An end, Oswald. I need to end things with Isabella. And I want you to come with me, and um.” Ed broke off. Maybe this part of his plan was not the best idea he had ever come up with. Oswald might think he was making light of the situation. And- “Oswald, I want you to come with me and tell her we’re dating. I don’t think I could go through with it on my own. It’s a little harsh, but-” Ed’s insides churned at the thought, and he broke off.__  
Oswald's jaw actually dropped. "Y- y- you _mean _that? You're not - you're not joking?" Hope began to break through the malaise that had settled in between his ribs, and he didn't like it.__  
He leaned forward, looking at Ed closely, disbelieving, waiting for him to call it off. When he didn't, he sat back abruptly, lightheaded from the turn of events, still trying to keep himself from hoping too much. It would be _wrong _to hope for too much. "You're not joking," he said again, tonelessly, still not entirely registering it. "You're not joking. How…" he shook his head, trying to regain his senses, make sure he was hearing things right. It didn't help. He blinked hard instead, staring Ed down. "… _How _are you not joking?"____  
“I could hardly joke about this, Oswald.” Ed met his eyes, and his heart skittered a little. “And, um, I didn’t just mean it as a pretense.” He looked back down, his face very warm suddenly.  
“Oswald, would you? Uh, sorry. Will you go out with me?” He cursed himself silently, wishing he could swallow his words. It sounded so much worse aloud. Instead, he looked up hopefully, awaiting a response.  
Oswald inhaled sharply, sat there shaken and open-mouthed for a couple beats before he impulsively took Ed's hands again. He was certain he felt himself tearing up, but he couldn't be bothered to stop himself. Not now.  
" _Ed _, I…" he sniffled and had to look away before he could speak again, but when he did it was with renewed determination. He hoped. "I've been wanting to ask you for... _so _long, and... I - I've never felt… I never thought you would-- I mean this is definitely not how I thought it would go, but--" he stopped short again, to keep himself from rambling. Or to keep himself from rambling any more than he already had.____  
"Yes, Ed, I…" he took a deep breath in an attempt to steady his emotions, failed miserably, and smiled up at him even as he was nearly moved to tears, squeezing his hands for emphasis. _"Yes." ___  
Suddenly, though, he shook his head, wiped his eyes, looked a little lost and uncertain.  
"But what does… what does that mean- what… What do we do? What are we supposed… to…"  
“Quite honestly, Oswald?” Ed smiled at him and took off his glasses, suddenly feeling more confident through Oswald’s uncertainty. “I have no idea.”  
He leaned in and closed his eyes, nose brushing Oswald’s cheek as their lips touched.  
Oswald gasped against him, pressing his hands against Ed's back, frantically grasping at the fabric of his shirt like he was sure he would disappear at any moment. He was vaguely aware that he mumbled Ed's name - _Edward's _\- name - more than once, just to reassure himself more than anything, and the unmistakable sensation of Ed's mouth against his - _Edward - Nygma's - mouth - against - his _\- and, other than that, not much else. But then, all at once, he pulled away in a panic, flushed and shaking, moving his hands to thumb Ed's cheekbones in tiny, quivering circles. He gawked up at him in abject disbelief, staring hard, as if for answers. "I- I'm sorry, Ed," he stammered, and broke out into an anxious laugh. "You'll have to excuse me, it - This -- I don't… This doesn't… feel _real _."______  
Ed gaped at him for a moment, comprehending that Oswald was telling the truth. Ed felt a sudden tingling sensation in his stomach as he realized Oswald was completely under his control. He smiled, gripping Oswald’s face in his hands.  
“Oh, don’t worry, Oswald,” He grinned. “This is _definitely _real.”__  
And he pulled Oswald, who seemed to have let out a small whimper, perhaps of disbelief, back into their kiss.  
Oswald whispered his name one more time before he finally closed his eyes and leaned up into the kiss, one hand firm on Ed's back and the other twisted in his hair when it wasn't gliding along his cheek.  
Needless to say, his composure went entirely out the window, and his self-control with it as well, though he was trembling too hard to make any good use of the lack of it; He tried once or twice to place his hands on Ed's waist, but he would shake too hard for them to stay there and had to settle for keeping them around his shoulders. He made a little noise of defeat and hoped he understood.  
He wasn't the best at this. But he could -- certainly try. Or at least… make up for it with his enthusiasm.  
  
If only he would stop shaking so much.

**Author's Note:**

> Al and I wrote this for fun and figured we'd post it. comment if you want any more, I stopped here because I wanted to write like four other Nygmobblepot things.  
> (Al wrote all the Oswald bits, and I did Nygma- lemme know if it was like. crazily out of character)


End file.
